Clinical Psychology (Counseling Practice), MA

The Clinical Psychology (Counseling Practice) MA Program is now accepting applications. Click on the link to apply.

This program is designed for those who are interested in clinical practice at the master's level. In Illinois (and in many other states), completion of this program qualifies graduates to apply for licensure as a professional counselor (LPC and, later, LCPC). This is a 60 semester-hour program that provides broad-based training in psychological assessment and intervention as well as in the theory and research that supports these practices. This program also provides appropriate preparation for those wishing to apply to PsyD and PhD programs in clinical psychology. Those planning to apply to PhD programs should ensure that they secure research experience within the program while they pursue their MA degree.

The curriculum of the Clinical Psychology (Counseling Practice) satisfies the educational requirements for the professional counselor and clinical professional counselor licenses in Illinois, Roosevelt's home state, and in many other states. Students are urged to check with the Board that oversees these licenses in the state in which they intend to practice after completing the degree to ensure that this curriculum satisfies the state's requirements. (An index of State Licensing Boards can be found by visiting the National Board for Certified Counselors. Applicants planning for a career in professional counseling should be aware that Roosevelt University's College of Education also offers a program designed to prepare students for this profession, the MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling.

Roosevelt currently has a large core of clinical faculty with expertise in many areas of clinical work and research. Students are exposed to faculty who are actively engaged in clinical work, as well as faculty who are conducting research in the field. The Mission Statement of the CPCP MA Program fits harmoniously within the mission of Roosevelt University. The program aims to train students as professionals in clinical and professional counseling psychology and as scholars in order to promote health and wellness, education, social justice, and human welfare from the strength-based understanding. Our program advances students in the broadest manner to achieve a mastery over psychological theory, research, and professional practice. We seek to promote the highest standards of ethics and professional conduct in a balance of the empirical understanding of issues and the humanistic value of psychotherapy. We hope to instill change in our students not only as professionals, but as human beings, so that they can be active change agents in the therapy room, the systems around them, and in society.

Based on a practitioner-scholar model, program goals generally include training of counselors who are able to effectively diagnose and treat clinical problems, as well as maintain a focus in development, well-being, empowerment, and preventative care. More specifically,

Graduates will demonstrate requisite general knowledge and skills to intervene and provide assessment to individuals with a variety of developmental and clinical issues through evidence-based practice. The training is framed in solid ethical foundations to promote competent practice.

Graduates will actively engage in the professional counseling field and be effective professional counselors with a clear psychological identity, an identity that focuses on the promotion of well-being, optimal development, empowerment, and preventative care to a variety of different individuals.

Social justice will be a primary part of our training and a future career focus, with the ability to understand empowerment at the individual and systems level.

Standards:

Students must maintain a minimum 3.0 (B) grade point average. No more than two grades of "C" (six semester hours) may be counted toward the MA degree. For additional information concerning grading and academic discipline, see the general University regulations. Students are allowed six years in which to complete the MA degree.

Competency requirement. The competency requirement is designed to ensure that all students seeking the MA degree demonstrate an acceptable level of mastery of general psychology. It is a prerequisite for all 600-level courses. The competency requirement must be met within the first 18 semester hours of graduate credit. Students who fail to satisfy the competency requirement within this time period will be considered for dismissal from the program. Students can meet the competency requirement in one of the two ways detailed below.

GRE method. Students must earn a score of at least the 70th percentile on the psychology subject test of the Graduate Record Examination.

Grade point average method. Students must achieve a grade point average of at least 3.3 in the following courses: PSYC 505 (Foundations of Counseling), PSYC 516 (Psychopathology), and PSYC 530 (Advanced Research Methods). All courses that count toward meeting the competency requirement must be taken at Roosevelt University.

Academic Integrity. The Department of Psychology holds graduate students to professional standards of academic integrity. The Department considers actions that present the work of another as one's own to be unethical and inappropriate. Cheating and plagiarism are never tolerated. The Department defines plagiarism as presenting the ideas or words of another as one's own. Students must follow the rules for appropriate citation and quotation of the words of others, as outlined in the current edition of the American Psychological Association's publication manual, in all papers and theses. Students who violate these standards regarding cheating and plagiarism will be considered for dismissal from the program.

Ethical, professional, and interpersonal competency. Because the psychology programs prepare mental health practitioners, the department is accountable to the public regarding the development of professional and ethical behavior. Students will thus be evaluated on academic, professional, and interpersonal competencies. Students may be dismissed from the program for problems in academic, professional, or interpersonal behavior. Students who fail to meet academic standards or fail to meet expectations of appropriate professional and interpersonal behavior will be considered for dismissal from the program.

Practice of Psychology by Graduate Students. The Department believes strongly that clinical counseling skills are acquired over time and experience. As "clinical counselors in training," students are considered not yet competent to practice in mental health services. Students who are employed in such services must make their employment known to the chair of the Department of Psychology who will determine if the student is practicing within, or outside of, his/her competence. Students who are judged to be employed outside their areas of competence must cease that activity or risk dismissal from the program.

In addition to coursework and professional integrity, students complete two capstone experiences. The Counselors Preparation Comprehensive Exam (CPCE) is administered in the final year of the student's experience. Additionally, students must complete an internship in their final year. Internships are generally 750-1000 hours over the course of the year. Internship is an opportunity for students to apply their knowledge and skills to actual clinical and counseling populations. Students secure internship sites across the Chicagoland area in settings that include, but are not limited to: medical hospitals, psychiatric hospitals, social service agencies, community mental health agencies, schools, correctional facilities, police departments, private practices, and other community-based agencies.

Career Opportunities

Roosevelt University's Clinical Psychology (Counseling Practice) MA Program prepares students for professional and competitive careers that include: